Mount St. Helens eruption: Where were you when it blew?

As the 34th anniversary of the May 18, 1980, eruption of Mount St. Helens nears, people begin swapping the stories of where they were when they heard of or saw the eruption.

Share your stories in the comments.

The May 19, 1980, edition of The Oregonian says Bruce and Sue Nelson were camped on the Green River when a fiery blast hit their tent. "There was no sound, no warning," Bruce Nelson told The Oregonian. "Suddenly, we found ourselves buried in debris from falling trees and ash. It took us 10 minutes to dig our way out. We didn't know which way was up."

The newspaper also quoted Jimmie Barcus about evacuating the Lone Fir Resort on the south side of the mountain. He told the paper he discovered "the way to get people out of your motel in a hurry in the morning is to pound on the door and say the mountain is blowing."

In a 10-year anniversary story in The Oregonian, Frank Schubert said he was in his house right on the Toutle River.

"I was about to leave for a conference. So that morning, my wife, Patricia, and my son went into Castle Rock to have breakfast together as a family. We looked up while we were eating and here was this huge mushroom cloud with lightning in it. We were shocked because we hadn't heard or felt anything."

Les Nelson was sheriff of Lewis County when the big eruption hit. He told The Oregonian in 1990 that he was in his kitchen when the mountain erupted. He called his office and worked all day and all night before getting any relief. "I'm sure it's the same for everyone here," he said. "It was a day I'll never forget.''

Sadly, Harry Truman, the feisty caretaker of the Mount St. Helens Lodge at Spirit Lake was in or near the lodge when the mountain blew. His body has never been found. Watch the video for more of Truman's story.

Were you in Oregon when you heard about the eruption? Did you see it that day? Share your memories in the comments and look for more Mount St. Helens anniversary coverage on OregonLive.com this week ahead of Sunday's anniversary.